Apparatus for melting snow



May 19, 1931. R. L. LLOYD 1,806,069

APPARATUSFOR MELTING SNOW Filed Nov. 18 192 5 Sheets-Sheet l N &- k? RxINVENTOR ATTORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 r R L. LLOYD APPARATUS FOR MELTINGSNOW Filed NOV.

11- HIM May 19, 1931.

' INVENTOR R. L. Lloyd ATTORNEY v May 19, 1931. R. L. LLOYD APPARATUSFOR MELTING SNOW 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 18 1926 II I ll '1 'l a hIn Lul F :I at}, II ,1 H II INVENTOR I llillallll Q IB Q o\ o O 0 o o QQ O 0 .ll

EMIHII'IIIIIIII Il llulllllllln ATTORNEY May 19, 1931.

R. L. LLOYD APPARATUS FOR MELTING SNOW Filed Nov. 18 1925 5 Sheets-SheetLA [N V E N TON 6. A 4 Z aym A TTORNE V Patented May 19, 193i estateRICHARD LEWIS LLOYD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS Fen. MELTING snow Application filed. November 18, 1926.

The object of my invention is to melt snow to cause its ready removalfrom desired places, or to melt snow or ice from frozen material toloosen or separate the latter, such as coal, by forcing heated air,gases, vapor, or steam through the mass to reduce the snow or ice towater which will flow away to any desired place.

A particular object of my invention is to provide means for melting snowon roadways and other places in such a way that the water from the meted snow will be discharged on to the roadway, or may be conducted awaythrough a suitable conduit, whereby snow removal may be carried outexpeditiously and economically.

In the accompanying illustrations of my invention 1 provide a vehiclewith means for propelling it, said vehicle being provided with areceiver for snow and with means to heat air and force it through thesnow in the receiver for melting the'snow, and means to cause dischargeof water resulting from the melted snow, whereby the snow may be chargedinto the receiver and melted as the apparatus proceeds along a roadwayor other place.

In addition to forcing heated air through the snow the discharged heatedgases or vapors from the heating apparatus are also preferably directedinto the snow in-the receiver, whereby the heat in such exhaust gas orvapor is utilized to assist in melting the snow, or steam with heatedair may be forced through the snow for melting it.

My invention also comprises novel details of improvement that will bemore fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a snow melting apparatusembodying my invention illustrating a receiver at the forward'part ofthe apparatus adapted to receive the snow for melting as the apparatusadvances;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section,

of part of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a partly broken plan view, the elevator being omitted;

Serial No. 149,067.

Fig. 4 is a partly sectional detail of air heating means for melting thesnow;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the receiver;

Fig. 6 is a partly broken front view of a modified form of apparatus;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of said modified form ofapparatus;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of a modified form of snow receiver;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view through the heater 0 and snow receiverillustratinga-modification;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail of part F ig. 9;

Figll is a sectional view illustrating another modification, and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail'of Fig. 11. Similar numerals of referenceindicate cor- I responding parts in the several views.

A vehicle is indicated. generally at 1', which -5 may be of any desiredor suitable construction adapted to travel along, a roadway or the like.

Said vehicle is provided with a snow receiver 2, which may be in theform of a hopper, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8, open at thetop to receive the snow and provided with a discharge outlet at 3. Thevehicle body or frame may be provided with any suitable means forsupporting it for travel along the ground. I-have illus r ted a supportin the nature of a caterpillar, indicated generally at 4, upon which theframe 1a 01. the vehicle is mounted to swivel on a vertical aXis bymeans of a bearing 6 depending from the vehicle body and journaled onthe vehicle, in the nature of a turn-table. A gear 7 secured to saidbearing 6 is in mesh with a pinion 8 on a shaft 9 that is journaled in atransverse direction upon the vehicle, (Figs. 2 and 7 A crank handle maybe applied to said shaft for rotating the vehicle body upon the vehicleor angularly respecting the snow in front. A shaft 10 journaled on avertical axis at the center of the vehicle is provided with a worm wheel11 in mesh with a worm 12 journaled upon the vehicle body and rotated bysprocket wheel or pulley 13 secured to the worm l2 and driven by a chainor belt 1 At the lower end the shaft 10 is shown providerl with a bevelgear 15 in mesh with a corresponding gear 16 on a longitudinal shaft 17journaled upon the vehicle, the shaft 17 being shown provided with gears18 at its ends in mesh with gears 19 that operate the chains of thevehicle for propelling the latter.

A motive power apparatus for operating my improvement may comprise aninternal combustion engine or a steam engine. An internal combustionengine is indicated at 20, adapted to operate the chain or belt 14 bymeans of sprocket wheel or pulley 14a on the motor drive shaft, wherebythe vehicle may be propelled as required. At 21 is a heating chambercarried by the vehicle body, shown enclosed within an annular casing 22providing a chamber 23 for air to be heated by radiation from chamber21. Chamber 23 may be supplied with atmospheric air by means of openingsat 24. The chamber 21 communicates with the lower partof receiver orfunnel 2 to supply heated air to the snow in the receiver. At 25 areindicated oil burners which may be of any suitable construction, shownprojecting into chamber 21, adapted to deliver blasts of flamethereinto. Air under pressure for the burners may be supplied by meansof any suitable air blower carried by the vehicle, indicated at 26. Pipe26a provides communication between chamber 23 and the blower fordelivering heated air to the latter from said chamber. The blower isshown provided with air delivery tubes 27 communicating with thecorresponding burners 25. The blower 26 is shown provided with pulley 28receiving belt 29 from pulley 3O operated by the motor 20, (Fig. 3). Theoil jets 25a of the burners are shown connected by tubes 31 with a fueloil tank 32 carried by the vehicle, (Figs. 3 and 4), the delivery of theoil being controlled by valves 25?) in a well known way. The exhaustpipe 33 from the internal combustion motor 20 terminates in the lowerpart of receiver 2, (Fig. 2), for delivering hot exhaust gases into thesnow in the receiver. The burners 25 may receive any appropriate fuel.

When snow is placed in the receiver and the heated air and the'hot gasesof combustion both from the fuel burners 25 and from the exhaust pipe 33are blown into the snow they will percolate upwardly through the snow,being first applied to the snow in the lower part of the receiver, sothat as the heated air and gases encounter and travel through the snowthey will melt the latter,

which will flow through the lower outlet 3 of the receiver. In order toprevent the heated air and gases from blowing away through receiveroutlet 3 I provide a water trap communicating with said outlet andindicated at 34, the lower part of the trap being provided with adischarge outlet at 35 to deliver the melted snow or water to theroadway or ground. lVithin trap 34 are baflle plates 36, 37, spacedapart, the baflie plate 36 extending downwardly into the trap casing,and the bafile plate 37 extending up wardly from the bottom within thetrap casing with its upper edge'above the lower edge of plate 36,providing a water seal within the trap to resist the outflow of the airand gases so that they will be compelled to flow through the snow in thereceiver. The water from the trap flowing over the upper edge of plate37 is discharged through the outlet 35.

Instead of drawing heated air from chamber 23 through the blower 26 fordischarge through the burners 25 into chamber 21 air may be blownthrough chamber 23 to the burners, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. Inthis form the blower 26 will take in outside air through its inlet 26and blow said air through the outlet 2764 into chamber 23, in whichchamber the air will be heated and will be discharged through pipes 27?)into the burners for passage through chamber 21 into the snow.

In the form of receiver having its open receiving end projectingupwardly, as-illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, 5 and 8, the snow maybecharged into the receiver manually or in any other desired way. InFig. 8 is illustrated a tubular form of receiver 2 as distinguished fromthe cone-like form illustrated in Fig. 2. For expedition in snow removalI provide an elevator, indicated generally at 38, which may be of anywell known construction, provided with buckets or scoops 39 on endlesschains 40 so inclined over the top of the receiver 2 as to dump snowthereinto, 2). The frame of the elevator is shown provided with upperand lower sprocket wheels 41 and 42, over which the chains 40 travel foroperating the buckets or scoops. A pulley 43 on the shaft of sprocketwheel 41 receives a belt 44 from a pulley 45 on a shaft 46, shownournaled upon bracket 47 carried by the arm 38a oftheelevator, whichshaft is provided with a pulley 48 receiving belt 49 from a pulley 50 onshaft 13', (Fig. 2), whereby the chains 40 are driven for operating theelevator. In order to gather snow at the sides of the elevator andadvance it to a posit-ion to be scooped up by the buckets of theelevator I provide right and left hand worms 51 carried by shafts 52journal-ed in arms 53 that project downwardly and forwardly from thelower part of the elevator. The shaft 42a of the elevator is providedwith sprocket wheels 54 receiving chains 55 that pass over sprocketwheels 56 on the shaft 52. When the elevator is being operated todischarge snow from a roadway into receiver 2 the worms 51 will beoperated to push snow at the sides of the elevator to a position infront of the same to be scooped up for delivery into the receiver.

In order to control the operation of the mechanism described-from themotor 20 a clutch of any well known character may be provided at 57,operable by hand lever 58, whereby the clutch may be thrown into and outof action as desired for controlling the pulleys 141a and 30 that areloose on the motor drive shaft to be driven by the latter through theclutch.

Instead of forcing heated air through the snow in the receiver byblowing said air the heated airmaybe exhausted or sucked through saidsnow, in the form shown in Figs. 11 and 12 wherein the receiver 2?) isprovided with a cover 2a to which is attached a pipe 260 leading to theair intake of the exhaust apparatus or blower 26, from which the airflows through outlet 27d. Air enters chamber 23 through openings 24c tobe heated therein and flows to the burners 25 through pipes orconnections 27b. The apparatus 26 will induce or force flow of the airfrom the burners through chamber 21 into and through the snow in thereceiver 26, thence through pipe 260 to apparatus 26, maintaining a flowof heated air through the snow for melting it. The cover 2a is shownprovided with an inlet chute or passage 71 for the snow deliveredthereto by the elevator 38, and said chute or passage is provided with arotary'gate 72, shown comprising radially disposed vanes or wings 73,horizontally pivoted at 74, the outer edges of which are adapted toengage the walls of the chute, during rotation, to resist the entranceof air, in conjunction with the charges of snow delivered by theelevator buckets 39. The weight of the snow on the gate will cause itsrotation for delivering the snow through the chute into receiver 2.

Instead of operating the apparatus by means of an internal combustionengine the appartus may beprovided with a steam boiler and steam engine,indicated in Figs. 6 and 7. A. steam engine is shown at 59 carried bythe vehicle and supplied with steam through pipe 60 from boiler 61.Pulley or sprocket wheel 14 is carried by the engine shaft 62 and theair blower 26 is driven by belt 29 operated by pulley 63 on the engineshaft, (Fig. 7). Heated air for the blower is supplied from chamber 23through pipe 26a, and the blower delivers air through pipes 27 tocombustion chamber 64 through outlet nozzles 65 shown in the lower partof the chamber below grate bars 66 therein. The combustion chambercommunicates with heating chamber 21a and the combustion chamber isprovided with a door 67 for supplying coal on the grate bars, in anordinary way for feeding coal to furnaces. lVhen air is blown throughpipe 27 into the combustion chamber 64 said air will pass through thebed fire on the grate bars and such heated air and products ofcombustion from the coal fire will pass through chamber 21. Radiationfrom the chamber heats air in chamber 23 to conserve heat. The heatedair and products of combustion will flow under pressure into thefunnel-like re ceiver 2",. (Fig. 7 and thence into and through the snowtherein for melting the latter, the melted snow or water flowing outthrough the lower end of the receiver, which extends downwardly so thatthe melted snow will be delivered upon the roadway orground. Thereceiver 2 is adapted to scoop up the snow as the vehicle travels.Exhaust steam from the steam engine may be delivered into the inner endof the receiver 2" by means of pipe 68 leading from the engine exhaustport to aid in melting the snow in the receiver. Live steam may besupplied from the boiler through pipe 69, controlled by valve 70, to thereceiver 2 for melting the snow therein.

In accordance with my invention the re moval of snow from streets,roadways and other places may be more expeditiously and economicallyperformed than is customary where it has been necessary to shovel thesnow into trucks and transport the snow to some dumping place. By theuse of my improvement alimited number of operatives are required, menmerely being necessary to operate the apparatus and keep the receiversupplied with snow, thereby dispensing with the use of trucks forhauling, because the cost of the fuel required for blowing hot air andgases through the snow in a receiver or funnel will be considerably lessthan the cost of the trucks and men required as compared to the ractiseof shoveling, hauling and dumping the snow. Furthermore, the operationof my improved apparatus may be substantially continuous and the vehiclemay travel forwardly or be turned in any desired directions to scoop upthe snow in advance of the traveling vehicle.

While I have illustrated my improved snow removing vehicle or apparatusas mounted upon a caterpillar form of supporting and propellingmechanism it will be understood that the apparatus may be pro vided uponwheels and driven in the ordinary form of a motor vehicle or truck. Butthe caterpillar form lends itself particularly for snow removal usesince it can travel through deep snow with greater facility than anordinary motor truck.

While I have illustrated a receiver in which snow may be placed formelting, it will be understood that any other desired frozen materialmay be placed in the receiver through which the air, steam or othergases may be forced. It also will be understood that, in accordance withmy invention, the heated air, steam or other gases may be forced throughsnow or snow mixed with other material, or through frozen or partiallyfrozen material, such as frozen coal, by directing the same into suchmaterial at the lower portion and causing the heated air. steam or othergases to flow upwardly through such material in means other than thatillustrated and described for the purpose of melting the snow or icethat is mixed roe with or binds the material together, the water flowingfrom the material being allowed to pass away in any desired manner toany desired place of reception. My invention, therefore, is not limitedto the details of construction and arrangement of parts set forth, whichmay be varied, within the scope of the appended claim, Without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

The term heated as used in the specification and claim is to beunderstood as relative with respect to the temperature of the snow orice, and its melting point. I use the term gases as including air,steam, vapor and other gases useful for the purposes of my inventionwhen heated.

I use the term frozen or frozen material as including snow, as such, orsnow mixed with other material, or any material the parts of which havebeen frozen together by snow or ice combined therewith.

Having now described my invention what I claim is A melting apparatus ofthe character set forth comprising a vehicle provided with means forpropelling it, a receiver for frozen material, and means upon thevehicle for heating air and blowing it through thematerial in thereceiver, the receiver having a water outlet, and a trap for watercommuni eating with said outlet to retain water to resist flow of airfrom the receiver through the trap.

RICHARD L. LLOYD.

